Adjustable dispersion compensators (e.g., tunable optical equalizers) are often required in optical communication systems using high symbol rates and/or transmission distances over a few kilometers. Today's optical communication systems employ two main configurations of dispersion compensators, namely electrical compensation and optical compensation, both of which have inherent drawbacks. For example, today's electrical dispersion compensators exhibit limited performance at the aforementioned high symbol rates, as well as consume considerable power. On the other hand, today's tunable optical dispersion compensators exhibit higher performance at such high symbol rates, but are extremely large, are in a separate module from the associated transceiver, and also consume considerable power.
Because of the aforementioned drawbacks, high symbol rate intermediate and/or long-range transceivers have gained limited acceptance. Accordingly, what is needed is an apparatus and method of use that address the aforementioned drawbacks.